This invention relates to medical equipment for the intravenous delivery of fluids to patients, and especially to a means for introducing a fluid from a container into the fluid passages of an enclosed sterile delivery system. More particularly, the invention relates to a means for penetrating a resealable membrane or barrier used to seal an access site in the system without requiring a sharp needle for the introduction of fluids.
Customarily, in hospitals and other medical treatment facilities, supplementary medications are administered via a hypodermic syringe through resealable, puncturable closures at access sites for intravenous delivery sets which transmit medication or fluid to the patient.
Sterile solutions are normally supplied to hospitals in sterile receptacles from which the solutions must be transferred to the sterile environment within the intravenous delivery set without introducing contaminants during the transfer process. This is typically accomplished by providing a fluid entry port or passage in the delivery set with a seal, such as an elastomeric plug or membrane, that serves as a barrier to external contaminants. The liquid to be introduced is then injected through a hollow needle with a sharp point adapted to pierce the barrier and enter the entry passage of the delivery set. When the needle is withdrawn, the elastomeric material reseals to preserve the sterile condition of both the solution being introduced and the interior of the intravenous delivery set.
While these prior art devices are effective in preserving the sterile environment required, the use of sharp needles presents a constant hazard to health care workers. In the medical field, there is an urgent need to minimize the risk of exposure of body fluids of health care workers to various types of contamination. One of the most common areas of exposure to this risk is in the administration of intravenous medication or other fluid. During this procedure, there are a number of ways in which the worker could inadvertently puncture his or her skin with a sharp hypodermic needle. Accidental skin puncture with contaminated or even sterile needles opens the body's immune defenses to a variety of viral infections. In particular, this type of event could expose the health care worker to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), which is incurable--and usually fatal.
This invention seeks to eliminate this particular risk to health care workers. Accordingly, the fluid injection apparatus of the present invention reduces the problem described above and affords other features and advantages heretofore not obtainable.